Mencius, four books? One of them was written by Mencius and his disciples Zhang Wan and Gongsun Chou in the middle of the Warring States Period. The earliest inscription in Zhao Qi's "Mencius" reads: "This book was also written by Mencius, so it is called Mencius".
Mencius consists of seven articles and fourteen volumes. The total number of words is more than 35,000 words and 286 chapters. According to legend, there are four other books of Mencius, which have been lost (this book of Mencius is a fake of Yao Shizhen in the Ming Dynasty). This book records the politics, education, philosophy, ethical thoughts and political activities of Mencius and his disciples. Ancient examinations mainly included four books and five classics.
Mencius recorded Mencius' thoughts on governing the country, political strategies (the debate between benevolence and Wang Ba, people-oriented, respecting the right and wrong of the monarch's heart, the people being the monarch, and the monarch following it) and political actions. Written in the mid-Warring States period, it belongs to Confucian classics. His theoretical starting point is the theory of good nature and advocates the rule of virtue.
Mencius inherited and developed Confucius' thought of ruling by virtue, and developed it into the theory of benevolent governance, which became the core of his political thought. He applied the principles of "pro" and "long" to politics, eased class contradictions and safeguarded the long-term interests of the feudal ruling class.